Signal device for motor vehicles



Aug. 21, 1923.

R. L. FRENCH SIGNAL DEVICE FOR MOTOR VEHlCLES Filed April 26 1922 awe/144 M scription and to the appended claims or movements thereof in operative Patented Aug. 21, i923 H Til AT RALEIGH L;

I SIGNAL nnvion roe To (tutu/10m it may 00mm.-

a citizen vof the H United States and resident of New York,

in the county, of New York and State of New York, have invented certaint new and useful Improvements inSignal Devices for. Motor Vehicles, of which the following is a specification. I

motor vehicles for indicatingrthe position road. V I a v The. objectsofthe present invention are to provide asimplified construction and operatlng a pair of; -slgnal :arms, and to afford means for illurangement of parts for minating the latter togetherwith the rear or tail endqsafety light from the rays-of a sin gle lamp.

A further object is proof protecting casingsfor the several operative parts.

F or full comprehension of the invention,

and of the objects andadvantages thereof, reference will be hadto the following deaccompanying drawings, and inwhich the various novel features of theinventio'n are more particularly set forth. t v Figure l is a side view showing the device position. as observed from. a following car.

Fi a relation of the several; operating respectto one'ano'ther; 1 i

Figure?) is a horizontal section taken along the lines,3.3, F ig; 2.

In the drawings numeral 10 designates a cylindrical case havingat itslower end a bracket 11, adapted tobe connected at a convenient point upon .the rear end of arcar. Also at its lower end the case i provided tion by the screws 13; case is formed with an integral head 14, which merges into the side walls of a lamp chamber 15 having a rearwardly extending tail-light opening provided with a cylindrical rim 16, having an interior annular seat 17 ,arranged to carry the lens 18, the latter being secured in position by the spring ring l9'yieldingly secured in a suitably positioned annular groove formed in the interior of the rim. Similar openings fitted with lenses 20 and 21 are formed in the lamp chamber aren't err sermon, on Nnwroam'n. Y. r z

nt ucatipn and A ril 26, 122.

, is. rotat ably with respect to the.

also fixed a similar arm to provide weather-.

,wheels 29 gure 2 is a vertical section showing the part with.

guard plate 22.

V construction provided with a head l2,detachably securedin pos1- .At', its upper end the MOTOR vEHIcLEs.

Serial No. 556,743.

15 and arranged to direct the r aysiof light {310111 the lamp 15 secured within said chamer. a j j a j A guard plate or wall 22 is formed at the top .of the case in spaced relation with the head lt, the latter having a hub 23 in which mounted the tubular shaft 24,

v u c looselysurrounding thesolid shaft 25, rota- ,The invention relates to improvements in signal devices adapted for attachment to,

tablyjournaled at its lower end in the bearhead l2. Tothe upper end of the tubular shaft 24 is fixed a signal arm 27 and to the corresponding end of the solid shaft 25 is 28, the hub connec tions therefor being disposed in offset relation on the arms to permit the projecting ends of the latter to assume a common horizontal plane of motion. i p

F or effectingthe independent movement ofthe signal'arms through their shafts 24 and 25, the shafts are each fixedly secured at their lower ends with the grooved wheels 29 having operating ropes 30 secured there to and leading in any, approved manner to a convenient positionfor manualoperation.

The wheels 29 are provided -with helical springs 81 urrounding. their respective lugs 32 formed on theeinterior of the case.

the latter connection being arranged to exert a tensi on through the springsto rotatev the" in opposite direction to the pulling action of the ropes'fit), the normal action of the springs serving to swing and to hold the signal arms into their unobserved position against the stop 82 formed on the. case. The movement of the arms to their opposite or I observed position is limited by the wall sec tions 33 connecting the upperhead let and preferably of hollow with a glas front face 34 through which the rays of light may pass from the lamp chamberl5 into the arms and in turn be reflected outward therefrom to serve as a signal light, the'wall sections 14, 33 and 22 acting to direct the rays of light from the lamp chamber into the arms at a point adjacent their hubs.

Under a pulling action of the ropes 30, it will be apparent that either one of the signal arms may be independently operated into their respective observation positions for indicating the direction in which the car is about to move, or both arms may at the same The signalarms are a indicatingthe car time be operated into observation position is about tobe stopped. that the above described arrangement provides for a elo se concentration' and distribution of: the rays of light from a single lamp to efieetthe illu-niina- It will be obvious tion of both the tail light and the signal arms. 7 What I claim as to s'ecure by Letter Patent, is

lfI'n a signal my invention and desire devlce, a supporting case, a central shaft journaled in the bottom wall 1 of said case, a tubular shaftloos'ely surme ans" normally "acting 1 I rounding said central shaft and extending above and journaled inthe opposite upper wall of said vcase, the upper end ofsaid central shaft extending above the said tubular shaft, a pair o'fsigna'l arms to'{theuppe r ends of said central and tubular shafts, and means within said casing for independently swinging said arms.

2.:In a signal device, a supporting. case,

a pair of independently rotatable shafts one within the other with loosely supported 1n said case and having tl1e1i"u} 3per ends extending above the enclosure thereof, a

pair ofsignal arms fixed to the upper ends 'otfsaid' shafts, outward and inward stops formed on said case and arranged respectivelyfto limit frorn'an outwardpositio-n of observation to an inward 'o'r unobserved position, yielding said arms against said inward stops, and

. manual means for rotating said arms into engagement \vlth said outward stops against said-arm's through'said shafts into a es-- tion of observation, and springs w thin Stud" case arranged to normally urge the arms into an inward or unobservedposit on.

4. In a' signal device, a 'supportingcase, a pair of independently rotatable shafts.

f loosely sup'portedonewithin the other withf :ableiheachor closure." for said case.

the movements of said arms to rotate and hold arms. v a r V In a signal device, ai caseyapair of toth'e lower ends leading outwardly through in said ease and having thei r upper ends extending above the enc of signal arms fixed to the upper ends of aid sha ts, ere-trea ies means said shafts within said case, and a detach- 5. In a signal device, a case, a vertical shaft rotatable'within said case, a tubular shaft loosely surrounding said vertical shaft, the upper ends of said shafts extend' ing' through the upper wall offsaid case,

signalarmslixedto the upper ends ofsaid disposed above 7 said shafts, a guardjplate I signal arms,*means within said case for independently swinging said arms inopposite directions, and stopslimiting theswinging movement of said arms, p

6. Infa signal device, a case, a detachable head for said case, an internal shaft mou nted within 'saidfea se' and journaled insaid head, a tubular shaft loosely surrounding said internal shaft, an end of each of said shafts extending eirteriorl-y airbags thePwall of saidcase opposite said head, signal arms fixed to .the' exterior ends ofsaidshafts, a

guard plate disposed -to"cover said signal a.i"ins,'means within said case-for iiidepend' osure thereof, a pair connected to ently swinging saidarms iii opposite direc tions, and stops limiting the swinging movements ofsaid-arms. i l

7: In a "ignal device, a case, an' internal shait rota-table within said case, 'aftubular shaft loosely surrounding said internal shaft, one end of ,said" shafts extending en'- ter'iorly through-a wall of saidfoafse, a pair of 'si' na'l" arms *fi'xedto the exterior ends o said shafts, a guard plate disposed :to' cover I said signal arm's, means within saidcasefor swinging saidarms in opposite directions, stopslimiting the swinging movements of said arms, a

as means as illuminating said shafts Carried one viithinthe' otherandfrotatably' mounted signal ari'ns fixed to saidpair oi shafts and proJeCtmg exteriorly' of sald ,e'ase,i*means within said case for e eratipgsaia armsfin opposite fdirect1ons,and means within said case forillnminating sa d arms: 1 Signed at New York, in the'jlcount-y of New'Yorkgand' State oi New York, this 24"day of April, A; 10. 922. RALEIGH at ron; 

